9. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 8, Op. 110: movement I
(for Unit 6: Further Musical Understanding)
Background information and
performance circumstances
String Quartet No. 8 by Dmitry Shostakovich (1906–75) was composed in July 1960 (in
just three days). The first performance was by the Beethoven Quartet in Leningrad (now
St Petersburg) on 2 October 1960.
Shostakovich, the most important Russian composer born in the early years of the 20th
century, was frequently at odds with the Soviet authorities, and his freedom as a
composer was often seriously curtailed. In 1960, however, he gave in to strong pressure
to join the Communist Party, and became to some extent an establishment figure. He
was very uneasy about this capitulation, and his String Quartet No. 8 has been said to
be almost an obituary for himself (he even contemplated suicide), or more positively an
autobiography. There are important quotations from previous works, and there is much
use of the motto theme D–E flat–C–B, whose pitches are derived from part of the
composer’s name as spelt in German (D[mitri] SCH[ostakowitsch], with ‘S’ representing
‘Es’, German for E flat, and ‘H’ being German for B natural). The dark tone of the work
was partly also the result of a visit to Dresden, a city in (East) Germany ravaged by
Allied bombing in World War II.
Performing forces and their handling
As the title makes clear, the performing forces are two violins, viola and cello.
The sombre character of the music arises partly from use of so many low notes (with
much exploitation of the bottom open string – G below middle C for violins, tenor C for
viola and C an octave lower for cello). Ranges are quite narrow generally, with no place
for the brightness that the upper registers can provide:

Violin I: low G to F just under two octaves higher (and still within the standard range
of the soprano voice).

Violin II: low G to A natural only a major 9th higher.

Viola: tenor C to C sharp (an augmented 8th or minor 9th higher).

Cello: bottom C to F (an octave and a perfect 4th higher).
Restraint and self-denial extend to avoidance even of such relatively common devices as
pizzicato, tremolo and double-stopping. Everything is arco, and there is even very little
use of staccato, tenuto marks or accents. Dynamics are predominantly quiet, with much at
pianissimo; the opening fugal entries are at piano and there are two passages at mezzo
piano (the quotations from the First Symphony, from bars 17 and 110). Two of the three
homophonic statements of the DSCH motif are highlighted partly by their rising to mezzo
forte (bars 23 and 82); the first of these briefly touches the only forte in the movement.
Texture
Bars 1–11 are contrapuntal – with imitative entries, rising from cello to violin I, based on
the DSCH motif and transpositions of it.

The cello enters first alone, and so the term monophony can be used. The notes are
D–E flat–C–B (DSCH untransposed).

The viola enters two bars later (bar 23) with DSCH transposed up a fifth (A natural–B
flat–G–F sharp).
o
Such repetition a fifth above is found in much fugal writing, but here neither the
arrangement of the subsequent entries nor the brevity of the contrapuntal
process encourages reference to fugue (or even fugato).

Violin II enters only one bar after the viola with the motif starting on D (as it had done
in the cello).

Violin I is two bars behind violin II, but does not pair with violin II as the viola did with
the cello – it enters a 4th rather than a 5th above (G–A flat–F–E natural).
The viola repeats its entry on A natural, but as it does not genuinely overlap with the entry
in violin I it is not really an additional imitative entry. Compare how in bar 52 violin II
repeats rather than genuinely imitates what violin I began in bar 50.
Homophonic textures are widely used. They include:

Bars 233–27 where the music is partly homorhythmic (all parts sharing identical or
similar rhythms). This is one of the three homophonic statements of the DSCH motif
whose appearances help to define the structure of the movement.

In bars 28–451 a melody in violin I is accompanied by extended tonic and dominant
drones in the lower parts – viola and cello have an octave C, and violin II has G. (On
the term ‘drone’, see below, the paragraph following the table in the section on
‘Harmony’.)

The texture in bars 50–78 is similar except that from bar 52 violin II has the melody,
while from bar 55 violin I has a countermelody apparently based on a passage from
the Fifth Symphony (see ‘Melody’ below). A countermelody is a melody heard with
the principal melodic part of a homophonic texture, but one that is clearly of
secondary importance.
Parallelism is occasionally used in ways uncharacteristic of pre-20th-century music.

In bars 11–12, both the violins and the cello move in double octaves around a G
(dominant) pedal in the viola.

In bars 14–16 the octaves are between violin II and cello, not, as is more
conventional, between neighbouring parts (e.g. between two violins).

In the same place, parallel l0ths between viola and cello combine with the octaves to
create incomplete parallel 5/3s in the three lower parts (under the sustained B natural
in violin I).

In bars 95–96, the violins begin with parallel 6ths, but in 97–98 they move in parallel
perfect 5ths (forbidden, of course, in most pre-20th-century styles).
Structure
The opening imitative passage may be viewed as an introduction. The main part of the
movement can then be considered to have a symmetrical arch-like structure with five
sections conveniently labelled A B C Bv Av (with
v
signifying ‘varied’). The three
homophonic statements of DSCH are key moments for the listener, not least because of
their mezzo forte (mf) dynamics.
Section
Bars
Brief description
Introduction
1–112
Five entries of the DSCH motif
A
113–27
B
28–49



C
50–85



86–104



104–126



B
v
A
v
Begins with DSCH motif in octaves
Ends with the first of its three homophonic statements
New (chromatic) melody in violin I, with drones in lower
parts
DSCH in cello at 46
50–54: new C–G–G–A flat–G figure
55, 63, 71: three statements by violin I of E natural–D–C–
B flat – apparently derived from a theme from the Fifth
Symphony
79–84: second homophonic statement of DSCH
Bv is a much varied version of B
A melody somewhat similar to that of Section B is played
by cello…
…below static or slow-moving upper parts
1043–1142 are almost identical to 113–212
1143–121: begin as an extension of the preceding, and
incorporate at 118 the third homophonic statement of
DSCH, this motif being now in violin II (which has crossed
above violin I)
122–126: based on 52–53 (Section C), with a final shift to
unison G sharps in the violin II, viola and cello – a link into
movement II (see ‘Tonality’ below).

Tonality
To some extent Shostakovich still thought in terms of conventional major-minor tonality.
Such conservatism (for older composers had explored atonality from about the time of
his birth) was connected with contemporary attitudes in Soviet Russia, where, for
example, atonality was viewed as ‘decadent’. Shostakovich even labelled his Quartet No.
8 ‘C minor’ (although this is not clear from the anthology), and he used a key signature
of three flats.
Our movement does not depart from C minor for long, as the following table shows. Note
in particular that Shostakovich did not modulate decisively to the key most frequently
linked with C minor in the 18th and 19th centuries – E flat, the relative major – nor
indeed to the dominant, G minor. He was more interested in keys and chords that
include E natural. E natural would normally suggest the ‘bright’ tonic major (C major),
but in our movement the effect is psychologically more complex, especially because the
harmony heard against E naturals is often minor; there is little cheer, let alone a happy
ending.
Section
Bars
Comment
Introduction
1–11



A
113–27




C minor cello entry – the DSCH motif (with its pitches D–E
flat–C–B natural) clearly implies that key.
The first four entries (bars 1–8) however include all 12
notes of the chromatic scale. There is neither serialism
here nor atonality, but considerable obscuring of the
underlying C minor (which continues through the fifth
entry).
Fugal entries pass briefly through G minor (bar 4) and F
minor (bar 7)
C minor at beginning and end, with considerable ambiguity
in between.
113: The unison statement of DSCH begins by signifying C
minor, but…
…the B natural is harmonised with chords of E minor, E
major, E flat major and D major (tonality obscure) before a
glimpse of C minor (Ib) in bar 16.
Tonality is obscure during the reference to the First
Symphony (from bar 17), with implied chords of C sharp

B
28–49




C
50–85




Bv
86–104


minor, B minor and A minor (19, 21, 231–2) helping to
maintain the atmosphere of gloom.
233–27 (the first homophonic statement of DSCH): C minor
without any doubt and reinforced by a perfect cadence in
bar 25-26.
Up to bar 45, lower strings sustain C and G (ambiguous –
could be major or minor)…
…below a chromatic violin I melody (which eventually
covers all 12 notes – 10 of them having been heard in the
first three bars).
Three prominent E flats (in 28, 35, 43), together with A
flats and B flats (notably in 30, 34, 39–41) give some
impression (in conjunction with the sustained C and G) of C
minor with Aeolian inflections.
Three F flats, including a long one in 33, are not E naturals
–there is no feeling of C major.
46–49: clear C minor with DSCH motif in cello.
50–54: sustained C and G (then just C) in lower parts – in
the absence of E flats and E naturals, A flats point more to
C minor than to C major.
55–78:
o Viola and cello sustain C, then G, then C – which
register as tonic, dominant, tonic in C. But is ‘C’
major or minor?
o Very prominent E naturals at 55, 63, 71 suggest we
are in C major…
o …but together with D flats (notably in 57), the
impression may be more of F minor…
o …although numerous E flats, together with A flats, B
flats and B naturals, point to C minor (perhaps the
D flats hint at flattened-supertonic Neapolitan
harmony or even the Phrygian mode?)
o One view is that, essentially, the passage overall is
C minor, somewhat ‘adulterated’ with bitter-sweet E
naturals.
79–84: basically C minor, but with surprises in 80–81 (see
table in ‘Harmony’ section below), and with ambiguous
‘bare-5th’ C–G chords (neither major nor minor) at the
perfect cadence in 84 (and 85).
86–912: A minor (linked to the preceding C minor by the
common note C). The shift from one minor key to another
a minor 3rd lower is chilling (together with the sudden
pianissimo). The tonality is destabilised by the
chromaticism in the cello underlying the A minor harmony
above.
913– 94: there are several F sharps and C sharps, and a
couple of (Neapolitan/Phrygian?) G naturals, dropping fairly
strong hints of F sharp minor (a further minor 3rd down
from A minor), especially at 913 and 93–941. There follows
a last-minute chromatic slide onto a chord of C major.

Av
104–126



95–104: briefly C major
o bar 95 is an isolated moment of brightness, despite
the pp dynamics; both violins play their highest
notes in the movement here
o there follows an intense and very chromatic passage
with obscure tonality before the return to C minor in
section Av.
1043–1142: compare 113–212 above.
1143–1241: continued instability at first; then C minor (V–
I) from 120.
125–126: unison G sharps, which are approached as A flats
– see violin II part in 122–123. (These lead into movement
II which begins with a signature of five sharps and whose
first chords are G sharp minor.)
Harmony
Shostakovich’s harmony is very varied – ranging from one or two passages that could
have been written by a pre-20th-century composer to dissonant writing that goes well
beyond traditional major and minor triads and seventh chords. Something of the
contrast begins to emerge if we look at the harmony in the homophonic statements of
DSCH.
Note: The statement in each case is understood to include the two Cs that follow the B
natural of the DSCH motif. These Cs (the first of which is a short note of anticipation, as
in cello, bar 24) are tonics that follow on naturally from the leading note B.
Statement
Bars
General comment
Detail
1
23–27
Traditional ‘functional’ harmony
C minor V–Ib–IV–V (with 9–8
suspension)–I (but without
3rd)
2
79–84
Outer parts imply the same
harmonies as for statement 1,
but inner parts are varied – with
two unexpected 5/3 chords, and
additional non-chord notes




3
118–
Largely the same as statement 2,


79: C minor V
80: III with flattened 3rd
and non-raised leading
note (E flat–G flat–B flat:
E flat minor chord)
81: IV with raised 3rd (F–
A natural–C)
82–83: V with semibreve
A flat appoggiatura in
violin II. Viola’s dissonant
F flat resolves(?) to E flat,
then D
84: I (but without 3rd)
Begins with III
(augmented triad E flat–
1222
but violin parts are exchanged…

G–B natural, in place of C
minor V); D is added at
1183, making an unusual
seventh chord
119: Cello F delayed by
extension of E flat,
generating additional
dissonance – the effect is
almost of an upwardresolving suspension.
Other traditional features include the insistence on tonic and dominant notes of the (C
minor) scale. These are often much prolonged, and it is inviting to call them pedals. But
because there are usually no clear changes of harmony above them it is useful to refer
to drones (especially where both tonic and dominant are used simultaneously). In bars
28–45 a single chromatic line moves over a long held C and G, while in bars 50–78 there
are two independent lines (for violins) above a single note held by viola and cello in
octaves. It is sometimes more the case that the harmony is a by-product of melodic
movement, than that the melodic parts are directed or governed by harmonic
considerations. Nevertheless, there are moments of comparative harmonic clarity and
repose, notably where chords of C minor I emerge at 60 1–3 and 611–2, and V with
appoggiatura C at 68. There are some functional chord progressions for example at bar
23. Perfect cadences help define the tonic key of C minor and can be seen at bars 25-26,
83-84 and 121-122.
One of the more striking harmonic features is use consecutively of chords of E minor, E
major, E flat major, D major and E flat major under a sustained B natural (bars 13–162
and 106–1092).
Melody
There is much conjunct (stepwise) movement, with some scalic passages, for example in
bars 67–70 with the notes B natural–C–D–E flat (and their reverse) from the C minor
scale. Chromatic scalic passages (particularly descending ones) occur several times,
notably in violin I (bars 28–30) and cello (bars 87–89).
Among small leaps, the most important are the descending minor 3rds that belong to the
crucial DSCH motif (D–E flat–C–B natural). This whole motif, as befitted Shostakovich’s
mood, is minor. It can be formed only from a minor scale, and every interval is minor:
as well as the minor 3rd E flat–C, there are the minor 2nds D–E flat and C–B natural. As
a whole, it spans the diminished 4th from the leading note of C minor (B natural) to the
mediant (E flat), a very tense interval.
The following table shows the varied use of the DSCH motif. In many cases DSCH is
followed by two Cs, as previously explained.
Section
Bars
Instrument(s)
Comment
A
1–112
cello, viola,

violin II, violin
I; viola (‘solo’)

113–162
violins I and II,
cello


153–17
violin II (‘solo’)
Leads into a quotation from the First
Symphony (Example 1)
233–27
violin I
First homophonic statement (with brief
added G at end)
B
46–49
cello
Concludes section B: quiet, but
prominent because accompanied only
by violin I
C
78–84
violin I
Second homophonic statement, with
rhythmic augmentation (see ‘Rhythm’)
and greater harmonic intensity than
previously
1043–1092
compare 113–162
1083–1101
compare 153–171
1183–1222
violin II
Four imitative entries (see
‘Texture’), plus one additional entry
‘Solo’ means that the player must
emphasise or slightly ‘bring out’ the
motif (obviously in a string quartet
there’s no implication of only one
instrument to a part!)
In (double) octaves
The B natural of the DSCH motif is
greatly extended
Bv
Av
Third homophonic statement (further,
see table on Harmony above)
Quartet No 8 includes several quotations from previous works by Shostakovich.
Movement I refers to the beginning of the First Symphony of 1926, from bar 16 as
shown below and again from bar 109. In both cases the borrowed music follows on very
naturally from music that is original to the quartet. It sounds at less than half its original
speed, however, because note values are doubled, but the metronome mark is minim =
63 (not the ‘equivalent’ minim = 152). Possibly Shostakovich was trying to demonstrate
how his youthful vigour (he was about 20 when the symphony was composed) had
drained away by 1960?
It appears that the first four notes of a theme from movement I of Shostakovich’s Fifth
Symphony in D minor (1937) (see Example 2) are alluded to by violin I in bars 55–582,
63–65 and 71–742. The effect of these four notes, which outline a descending tritone, is
very different in both works, however. In the symphony, they take us from the dominant
of D minor to the flattened supertonic, whereas in the quartet the journey is from the
raised third of C minor down to the unraised leading note. The descending tritone
pattern is faster when heard in the quartet than in the symphony.
Rhythm and Metre
The first movement of Quartet No. 8 is in simple quadruple time ( 44), despite the
metronome mark of minim = 63 and notation clearly implying a minim beat.
Rhythms are generally simple. Syncopation is uncommon, but there are important
examples at some cadences, notably in bars 24–25 (violin II) and 120–121 (viola), with
the tying of minim to minim in an inner part. Although the harmony is not entirely
characteristic either of Baroque or Renaissance polyphony, the rhythmic effect is similar.
The cello’s opening rhythm, with three minims and dotted minim plus crotchet, is
particularly associated with the DSCH motif. It is probably no accident that the same
dotted rhythm follows the chromatic groups of crotchets in such places as bars 30 and
33. These ‘irregular’ three-bar phrases can be contrasted with the ‘regular’ structure of
three times eight bars in the violin I part of bars 55–78, and the liking in the violin II
countermelody for two-bar units with the rhythm minim, two crotchets, two minims.
Additional points:

The very long notes in the lower parts of sections B and C.

Rhythmic augmentation in the second homophonic statement of the DSCH motif.
Minims are doubled to semibreves here. The dotted minim is more than doubled to
last for seven crotchets, so that the crotchet that follows can remain as a crotchet
and clearly retain its function as a short note of (tonic) anticipation.
Further reading
(for general interest and information – not essential reading)
The New Grove (2001), available by subscription online, has much information on
Shostakovich’s life and work.
N. Kay, Shostakovich, (London, 1971). This is an excellent introduction to Shostakovich’s
work (up to 1971). Concerning Quartet No. 8, see pages 53–56.